July 27th, 2021
By Ayesha Mir
ISLAMABAD
In a graphic video that went viral, a beggar woman is huddled next to the body of her 14-month-old son, Gulfam. Both are bleeding from wounds on their necks where they have been stabbed ruthlessly.
Even though she was taken to the Rawalpindi DHQ Hospital, 30-year-old Nasim Bibi succumbed to her wounds only a few hours after being raped and stabbed in the neck.
The child Gulfam, who was with her at the time of the crime, was also stabbed and had died immediately.
An FIR filed by Nasim’s sister, Shamim Bibi, earlier on Sunday said that the two along with Nasim’s uncle had gone to Chak Beli Khan bazaar to beg.
They came across a man called Wajid Ali, whom Nasim knew from before. Nasim told Ali that she wanted a talisman to have another child and Wajid offered to take her to a spiritual healer. Nasim took Gulfam with her as she got on Wajid Ali’s bike to travel to Mohra village.
Meanwhile back in the bazaar, when Nasim’s uncle and her sister Shamim saw Wajid Ali passing by the same spot where he had picked her up, they became suspicious and began looking for Nasim and her son.
They finally found them near the bushes in Mohra, howling for help. Nasim informed them that Wajid Ali had raped her and stabbing both the her and Gulfam in the neck before fleeing.
Nasim was taken to the hospital and managed to make it through the day, sources who have information about the investigation say that she did not survive due to negligence from the hospital staff mainly because of her poor background. Perhaps she could have survived had she been given proper care.
Nasim was a beggar and frequently visited pirs. She lived with her uncle in Rawat while her husband was in Sahiwal. But her own hometown was in Vehari where she and her son were both laid to rest on Monday.
A low profile case?
Rawalpindi Police on Monday tweeted that the CPO had taken notice of the incident and raids were being carried out to apprehend Wajid as soon as possible.
ملزم واجد علی ولد علی اصغر۔
راولپنڈی پولیس کو یہ ملزم چونترہ کےعلاقہ میں خاتون اورکمسن بچے کےقتل کےمقدمہ میں مطلوب ہے، جس کی تلاش و گرفتاری کاتحرک جاری ہے۔ اگر آپ کو اس ملزم کےبارےمیں معلومات ہوں تو ہمیں مطلع کیجیے۔ آپکا تعاون ہمارےلیے اہم ہے۔
03008244958
0519292600
111-276-797 pic.twitter.com/Gm8uIpkTpV— Rawalpindi Police (@RwpPolice) July 26, 2021
Wajid was traced and arrested on Tuesday. Police state that the suspect would be presented before court with solid evidence to ensure that he faces due punishment for his crimes.
Yet even as more and more incidents of violence against women ripple across the country, during a recent press conference, when some reporters cited this incident to raise concerns, Sheikh Rasheed said he did not know anything about the Nasim Bibi case.
If a case can be seen as an example where the victims are neglected only because they are not influential people, then Nasim’s case is a big example. The issue of poverty seems to highlight that since this is not a high profile case, Nasim was forced to pay with her life when she could be saved. Now it remains to be seen if her assailant will face the full brunt of the law.